Monday, January 3, 2011

The Vault of Horror's Top 10 of 2010

The previous 12 months were interesting ones for the horror genre. I won't say outstanding, but I also won't say terrible. There certainly was a bunch of entertaining and engaging films released last year, but not as many as in some previous years. I can't say I'm totally thrilled with this top 10 list, but I can at least honestly say that the top 7 were films I genuinely found to be terrific. The rest may very well have been bumped if I had had the pleasure of seeing movies like The Crazies and Daybreakers, for example.

But alas, I was invited by the incomparable Scott Weinberg of Cinematical and FEARNet (by way of the delightful Britt Hayes of Brutal as Hell and CHUD) to take part in a vast Ultimate Horror Top 10 of 2010, and so here is the list I came up with, when pressed. My list, along with those of many others across the horror blogosphere, have been tabulated to create a soon-to-be-published master list of the best horror flicks of 2010. I'm thrilled to be a part of it, and here's the list I sent in!

10. AfterlifeThe inclusion of this one is definitely proof that I needed to see more new horror films in 2010. Ah well, what can I say, life got pretty busy. Still, there are worse ways to kill a couple of hours.

9. A Nightmare on Elm StreetSorry, people, I actually enjoyed it, OK? Sue me. No, not as good as the original, but I thought it was a decent little horror movie, and the "Dream, Dream, Dream" drugstore scene is pretty classic.

8. The WolfmanA flawed film, but one I enjoyed nonetheless. I've long been waiting for a remake of this Universal classic, and I can't say I was disappointed.

7. [REC] 2Alright, now we're getting into the really good ones. I am a huge fan of the original [REC], and though I found it far scarier than this, I will go on the record as saying this was the better film.

6. Piranha 3-DJust a ton of fun, and when it comes to horror, that's really what I've been gravitating more and more toward in recent years. Great gore, and a balls-to-the-wall attitude you don't see too often anymore.

5. Shutter IslandNot really horror in the truest sense, but a very well-made psychological thriller from Martin Scorsese.

4. The Human CentipedeI enjoyed this far more than I ever imagined I would. I also was amazed that it really wasn't the gross-out flick I was expecting, but actually a very cerebral horror film. And Dieter Laser definitely plays the best villain of the year, not to mention having the coolest name ever.

3. Survival of the DeadI championed this flick like nobody's business, and I stand by that. As a lifelong Romero fan, I found this to be the maestro's greatest zombie flick since Dawn of the Dead. And I fully realize I'm of the minority opinion.

2. I Spit on Your GraveAnother pleasant surprise, although nothing about this movie could really be described as pleasant. In the end, I found it much better than the original, even if it was surprisingly even more brutal.

1. Black SwanAnother psychological thriller, but one that has Oscar written all over it, especially in the case of the always-excellent (when she's not being directed by George Lucas) Natalie Portman. I just had the pleasure of seeing it, and can honestly say it was my favorite horror film of 2010. Expect a review of this amazing film a little later this week...

There you have it, Vault dwellers. So, what do you think of my choices? What would yours be? Let me know!

13 comments:

I might finally throw caution to the wind and watch the Human Centipede on Netflix. That PLAY NOW button keeps calling my name. I also cannot wait to hear your thoughts on Black Swan. I might be obsessed as evidenced by my White Swan/Natalie Portman dream. There was a trapeze act in there too. I can't wait to hear what my therapist makes of all this too.

I just finished watching "The Human Centipede." I've had it in my Netflix queue for a while, but your words here pushed me to watch it. Wow, how disturbing. Very good movie. Not sure I'm willing to go "great"...but very good.

First, I am glad to see someone else who was brave enough to include NOES in their top movies list. I know it wasn't a great movie, but I liked it. Afterlife was ok, but nothing special. I liked how you described Piranha. It was just a fun movie that you couldn't take seriously. Black Swan was good, but not really my type of movie. Shutter Island was better than I thought it would be. While I support you with NOES, I can't support Survival of the Dead. The movie didn't do anything for me. I don't know if you saw it, but I really enjoyed Let Me In.

Can't agree with you more about SURVIVAL OF THE DEAD... I loved it also and would probably make it my #1 film of the year.

SHUTTER ISLAND could have been so much better if it hadn't fallen apart in the second half.

As for NIGHTMARE ON ELM ST and I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE, I refuse to watch any more remakes, even if on some of them actually are passably OK (Think DOTD or CRAZIES) as that would just be encouraging the creative bankruptcy of modern Hollywood.

i cant believe you liked human centipede!! i was fully bored!! me n my friends discovered it way in its prelimary stages accidently at school and got excited, n then when it started getting banned we were sooo hyped up to see it that we couldnt wait to see it in good quality we downloaded it. biggest let down.

Which horror film *should* be remade?

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I've been fascinated with horror ever since my parents let me watch The Exorcist at 8 years old (what were they thinking??) and I ran up to my bed screaming when Linda Blair's eyes rolled into the back of her head.Although it often gets a bad rap from "mainstream" critics and audiences alike, horror has often been the most creative and vibrant movie genre of all, from Nosferatu to Saw. Some of the finest motion pictures ever made are part of the horror genre, including Frankenstein, Psycho, The Shining and my personal all-time favorite, George Romero's Dawn of the Dead.This blog is the culmination of my 25-year love affair with all things blood and guts--so check back here often for news and opinion on the world of horror. And remember...